ISP vs residential proxies in 2026: which to buy
An ISP proxy is one static address registered to an Internet Service Provider, yours alone for the term; a residential proxy is a pool of household addresses you rotate through, billed per gigabyte. Here is the difference on price, targeting, sessions and ports, and the job each one is right for.
ISP from $2.50/IP, unlimited bandwidth · Residential from $1.00/GB, 100 MB free · Both on one account
ISP and residential proxies in 2026: the comparison table
For both networks our top pick is QuanticData: residential in 228 countries from $1.00/GB, ISP in 61 countries from $2.50 per IP with unlimited bandwidth and carrier choice in 221 cities, both on one account and one balance.
| Criterion | Top pickQuanticData | Bright Data | Oxylabs | Decodo | IPRoyal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential countries | 228 countries | 195 countries | n/a | 195+ locations | 195+ countries |
| ISP countries | 61 countries | n/a | n/a | 19 countries listed | 31+ countries |
| ISP city and carrier choice | 221 cities in 60 countries; pick the carrier by ASN | Country; country and city on its proxy hub | n/a | Country, state, city, ASN | Country, state, city |
| ISP bandwidth | Unlimited per IP | 100 GB fair use per IP per month | Unlimited, with fair usage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Residential entry price | $1.00/GB ($5 for 5 GB) | $8/GB pay as you go | $6/GB on the $30 a month Starter plan | $4/GB pay as you go (1 GB) | $7.35/GB for 1 GB |
| Lowest residential price | $0.80/GB at 1 TB; $0.60/GB at 10 TB (Enterprise, Contact us) | $5/GB on the 798 GB plan, $1,999 a month | $2.5/GB from 1,000 GB | $2/GB at 1 TB (Enterprise) | $1.75/GB from 10 TB |
| Crypto and KYC | Card, PayPal or 300+ cryptocurrencies; no KYC | Cards, PayPal, wire; no crypto listed. Compliance check (KYC) before use | n/a | Cards, PayPal, crypto | n/a |
QuanticDataCompared by QuanticData; criteria and sources below. Other providers' figures come only from their own public pages, read on 30 October 2026: Bright Data, Oxylabs, Decodo, IPRoyal and Webshare residential pricing pages; Bright Data, Oxylabs, Decodo and IPRoyal ISP pricing pages. n/a means the page we read does not state it. Names are given for identification only; no provider is linked, sponsored or affiliated, and prices change, so check each page before you buy.
The short answer
Buy an ISP proxy when one identity has to keep the same address for days or weeks: a logged-in account, a seller dashboard, a long session that a site should see as one visitor. Buy residential proxies when you need many different addresses: scraping at volume, price checks in many countries, anything where rotation is the point.
On QuanticData an ISP proxy costs from $2.50 per IP per 30 days with unlimited bandwidth ($3.80 on 1 to 10 IPs), and a residential gigabyte costs $1.00 ($0.80 at 1,000 GB). Both networks run on one account, and the 100 MB free trial on residential needs no card.
ISP vs residential: the difference in one table
| ISP proxy | Residential proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose address | Registered to an ISP, hosted in a datacenter | A household connection, used while the device is online |
| Rotation | Static: the same IP for the whole term | Rotating per request, or sticky by session up to 24 h |
| Billing | Per IP per 30 days, unlimited bandwidth | Per GB, one-off packs valid up to 360 days |
| Price on QuanticData | From $2.50/IP (101+ IPs), $3.80/IP on 1 to 10 | $1.00/GB, $0.90 at 500 GB, $0.80 at 1,000 GB |
| Where | 61 countries: 23 by country (Standard), 221 cities in 60 countries with carrier choice | 228 countries; state, city and ASN targeting |
| Speed | 1 Gbps+ datacenter uplink | The speed of the household line behind the exit |
| Ports and sites | Standard: no port limits; city plans: ports 80 and 443, no site blocks | Any port, HTTP and SOCKS5 |
| Trial | None; plans from 1 day on city plans | 100 MB free for 5 days, no card |
Per IP or per GB: which costs less for your job
The two prices do not compare directly, so compare them on your own job. Per IP wins when traffic is heavy and the number of identities is small: one ISP IP at $3.80 carries unlimited gigabytes for 30 days. Per GB wins when traffic is light and the number of exits is large: 5 GB for $5 can touch thousands of addresses in dozens of countries.
A quick rule: if you would use more than 4 GB a month through one fixed identity, the ISP IP is cheaper; if you need more than a handful of addresses, residential is cheaper.
Which to buy, job by job
| Job | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Managing accounts, seller dashboards, social profiles | ISP | One address per identity, kept for the term; no rotation to explain |
| Scraping search results, marketplaces, prices | Residential | Rotation per request, country and city targeting, billed per GB |
| Ad verification, geo testing in many countries | Residential | 228 countries on one username flag |
| Long logged-in sessions, carts, checkouts | ISP | Static for weeks; city plans let you pick the carrier |
| Banking, payment or government sites | ISP city plans | No site blocks on city plans; residential may be challenged more often |
| Mobile-only apps and feeds | Neither: mobile proxies | A carrier address is what those apps expect |
When you need both
Most teams end up with both: residential for the collection and ISP for the handful of identities that must stay stable. On QuanticData they sit on one account with one balance, and the same key also opens the SERP API, the scraping API and the collectors when you would rather receive the data than run the proxy.
How to buy
Residential: create an account, claim the 100 MB trial, then buy a pack from $5. ISP: choose Standard by country from $3.80 per IP, a ready-made pool, or a city plan with the carrier you pick; IPs are ready seconds after payment. Renewals keep the same IPs.
What is the difference between ISP and residential proxies?
An ISP proxy is a static address registered to an Internet Service Provider and hosted in a datacenter, yours alone for the term. A residential proxy is a household address used while the device is online, in a pool you rotate through and pay per gigabyte.
Are ISP proxies better than residential proxies?
Neither is better; they do different jobs. ISP for one stable identity with heavy traffic; residential for many addresses, many countries and rotation.
Which is cheaper, ISP or residential proxies?
Per IP vs per GB: on QuanticData an ISP IP is from $2.50 per 30 days with unlimited bandwidth, a residential gigabyte is $1.00. Heavy traffic on one identity is cheaper on ISP; light traffic across many exits is cheaper on residential.
Can I choose the city and the carrier of an ISP proxy?
Yes. City plans cover 221 cities in 60 countries; you pick the city, then any carrier or one by its ASN. Details on the city and carrier targeting page.
Do residential proxies have sticky sessions?
Yes. On QuanticData a session can be held up to 24 hours on Residential Basic and Premium, or rotated per request.
Is there a free trial?
On residential, 100 MB free for 5 days with no card. ISP plans start at 1 day on city plans.